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The Richmond Tigers have finished their pre-season series and it looks as though they are going to start their title defence at full throttle. In their last game of the JLT Community Series, the Tigers belted the North Melbourne Kangaroos 19.14. (128) to 8.10. (50), in an impressive display that will have every other team in the premiership a little worried. Some thought that the Victorian club might have a bit of a grand final headache and possibly take a while to get back into the swing of things, but the performance against the Roos showed everyone that they are ready to rumble.

Coach Damien Hardwick’s men looked confident and composed on the field, and they will undoubtedly be one of the teams challenging for the flag in 2018. Currently the Adelaide Crows and the Sydney Swans are the early favourites at $6.00 according to Aussie Rules betting, with Richmond and the GWS Giants both back on $7.50. Geelong, Port Adelaide, Essendon and Melbourne are the bookmakers’ choice to take the final spots in the top eight.

In the victory against North Melbourne, the Tigers were ruthless at times, constantly applying pressure and forcing turnovers all across the park. Richmond had an incredible 12 separate goal kickers, which highlighted just how much of a team performance it was from the reigning champs. The commanding display will surely give Hardwick a bit of a selection conundrum ahead of the new season.

Shai Bolton looks to have locked in his role as Daniel Rioli’s replacement until he returns from injury, with the small forward taking 15 possessions and 1.3 goals after scoring three against the Bombers in their previous game. Apart from Bolton, the small forward line should remain relatively unchanged. However, the coach would have been pleased with youngster Callum Moore’s cameo appearance after he came on and kicked two goals, showing that he could be a viable backup option for Jack Riewoldt, if necessary this season.

Kane Lambert was impressive through the midfield with four goals, while Josh Caddy showed that he could be one of this year’s big improvers with another dynamic performance. The 25-year-old was heavily involved in the middle and made seven clearances from his 20 possessions. His decision making moving forward was excellent and he finished the contest with two goals.

In their other preseason game against Essendon, they were equally as devastating, thrashing the Bombers by a massive 87 points. Brownlow Medal winner Dustin Martin was back to his best, tallying up 24 disposals and scoring one goal. Although the Tigers were only missing three of their premiership winning 22, compared to Essendon who were far from full strength, the display from the premiers further cemented their place as one of the flag favourites for this season.

The Tigers seemed to have picked up right where they left off at the end of last year and will once again be a major threat in this year’s competition. It could even be the start of a golden era for the club, and opposition will have to be at their absolute best if they want any chance of overcoming them in 2018.

Now that the AFL trade and draft period are behind us, it’s easier to pick how teams will be lining up for next season. There have been a few additions to most squads, and it’s always interesting to see how the players adapt to their new teammates and surroundings.

Some of the most talked-about trades were Gary Ablett returning home to where it all began, as well as Bryce Gibbs heading back to South Australia. These are the kind of key positional changes can have a dramatic impact on the way a team performs throughout the campaign. Here are four midfields that are looking like they will be a major threat to opposition sides next year.

Geelong Cats

Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood are already an imposing force through the middle of the park, and now with Ablett joining the mix, they are shaping up to have the most attacking midfield in the premiership.

The Cats have been looking for that something extra for a while now to make the final push towards the Grand Final, and although they have been a hugely competitive side in recent times, they have been eliminated in the preliminary finals for the past two years. Their supporters will be hoping the prodigal son is the key to their success next year as they search for their first flag since 2011.

Adelaide Crows

The Crows’ midfield was arguably the best in the competition last term and it’s hard to see them not being extremely competitive once again. Newcomer Bryce Gibbs will be joining up with Rory Sloane and Matt Crouch in the middle, and all signs point to the trio becoming a powerhouse on the pitch.

Adelaide will be hungry for another shot at the flag after coming so close last year when they went down to the Richmond Tigers in the Grand Final. The bookmakers certainly think they are capable contenders yet again, with the latest Aussie Rules betting having them as equal favourites on $5.50, alongside the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

Sydney Swans

Any midfield that can lose the first six games of a season and come back to make the semi-final should never be underestimated. The Swans’ campaign was a little unorthodox in 2017, but there was no denying the resilience and drive that was shown by their players to achieve what they did.

They became the team that nobody wanted to face in the finals, and the midfield three of Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery, were the engine room that made the team so dangerous. They were the most accurate midfield in front of goal last season, and we can expect them to do more of the same in 2018.

Richmond Tigers

The defending champions will be out to prove it wasn’t just a one-time deal in their next campaign, and an unchanged midfield of Dustin Martin, Trent Cochin and Dion Prestia should prove to be a massive help in doing so. With the current Brownlow Medal holder in Martin, and a previous winner in Cochin, the Tigers seem to have the middle of the park safely taken care of with these tremendous players. The trio are equally as good at dropping back to defend, as they are of turning defence into attack, and Richmond have a great chance at making it back-to-back premierships next year with this three in control.

Now the only question is which midfield will bring that little something extra to the table that gives them the edge over the rest of the competition? Chances are it could very well be one of these four sides, as they look to guide their team towards the Grand Final and a coveted AFL premiership.

Last year we ran a trial of Big Bash on TheBench.com.au privately to see whether or not it would be any good. We had four competitions running and the feedback was great!

So this year we are opening it up publicly for the first time. So round your mates up and get ready to draft!

What is the scoring format?

We have intentionally kept the scoring very basic so that you can keep track of your match-ups easily. Those super cricket nerds like myself will see some similarities in the scoring format to the way Man of the Match is decided on the Cricket Captain game.

As with all our games on TheBench, you can customise the scoring for paid leagues ($10 per club) but we also offer a free version which is the easiest to setup if you just want to get it up and going.

Here is our basic FREE scoring:

Select THREE x Batsman (1 point per run, 5 points per catch and 5 points per run out)

Select ONE x Wicket Keeper (1 point per run, 10 points per catch, 10 points per stumping and 10 points per run out)

Select ONE x All Rounder (1 point per run, 5 points per catch, 5 points per run out and 20 points per wicket)

Select TWO x Bowlers (1 point per run, 5 points per catch, 5 points per run out and 20 points per wicket)

Select ONE x Bench (this player will automatically substitute into a playing position if your starter does not play and they are the same position).

Who should I look for?

It was a bit of an unknown as to which positions would score the best, but in the end there was a mixture of all positions up the top of the leaderboard.

To give you a bit of an idea on who scored the best in this format, here is last year’s top 10:

Sean Abbott (Bowler) – 391

Ben Dunk (Batsman) – 384

Aaron Finch (Batsman) – 364

Sunil Narine (Bowler) – 327

Chris Lynn (Batter) – 306

Tim Paine (Wicket Keeper) – 297

Brendon McCullum (Wicket Keeper) – 291

Pat Cummins (Bowler) – 289

Ben Dwarshius (Bowler) – 285

Tom Cooper (All Rounder) – 282

Over the next few weeks we will be posting articles about the best squads and the availability of each of the International players. So keep an eye on the Facebook page.

You in?

If you like the sound of this, then let’s get started. Head to TheBench and login or sign-up today!

* Paid leagues allow you to customise the draft order, scoring, number of players in each position, use a waiver wire, customise captains and utilise the rolling lockout. The cost for this is just $10 per club.

Ask any fan of the red and white half of Sydney about the 2016 AFL Final and watch the smile slip away from their face. Last year’s minor premiers had one hand on the trophy after a stellar season that saw them dominate the league from start to finish. However, what would have been their third AFL flag in the club’s history was snatched from under their feet by a gallant Western Bulldogs outfit who managed to claim their first premiership in over fifty years.

In 2017, things went from bad to worse for Sydney and the side endured the club’s worst start in 24 years. The Swans lost their first six games of the season and headed into round seven with a percentage of 76.6 and found themselves 24 points behind league leaders the Adelaide Crows. In comparison, the South Australian team had a percentage of 160.9 and had scored 806 points to Adelaide’s 454.

This came as quite a shock to their loyal supporters who assumed that their club would start the new campaign in the same fashion as they played last season. Most pundits wrote the team off and claimed that they would not have any influence in this year’s competition. How wrong they were.

The Swans decided to take fate into their own hands and completely turned their season around. They went on to win the next 14 out of a possible 16 games and secured themselves a place in this year’s finals. That same team that had a percentage difference of 84.3 compared to top-of-the-table Adelaide finished off the normal season with an outstanding 126; only ten behind the Crows.

It’s no secret that Don Pyke’s men from South Australia have been the dominant side all year and have constantly set the bench mark for how teams need to perform if they wish to challenge for the flag. However, due to the lack of consistency from other top-eight clubs, footy fans have struggled to find a genuine contender to challenge Adelaide for the title.

Sydney seems to be the team that has answered the call and are now looking like genuine title contenders. Bookmakers still think that the Crows will lift the trophy though, and have them as favourites at $3.40 with the Swans steadily creeping up behind them at $5.00.

There’s no doubt it will be a gruelling final series and injuries will surely play a large part in the outcome of both side’s Grand Final hopes. Some punters may want to grab some free advice from one of the online tipping sites such as https://www.championbets.com.au/ to ensure they are up to date with all available players and squad selection.

The Swans defeated the Crows in round 22 at the Adelaide Oval, and that will have given them a huge psychological advantage if the two teams happen to meet on their path to the Grand Final. Sydney better be careful, though, because this is an Adelaide side that absolutely has nothing but revenge on the agenda for a team that has scorned them on the last two occasions.

The question on many Pies supporters minds along with many other fans, pundits and AFL enthusiasts.

So lets look at some stats…

Buckley took charge of the Pies in 2012 having spent two seasons under Malthouse. In the 2010 and 2011 season they finished top of the ladder and won a flag as well. A good grounding perhaps…

But since then, with Buckley in sole charge, they have fallen fallen fallen. League positions since have been 4th, 6th, 11th and 12th…. And the start of this year has been less than promising aside a very close victory against the Tigers…

That said, Buckley’s win ratio stands at 55.8%. That is 95 Games in charge with 53 Wins – 42 Loses – 0 Draws . How does that compare? Malthouse only had a 56.6% record over his entire career (which includes the time dismantling, I mean coaching, Carlton).

Of recent ‘greats’ Kevin Sheedy only had 57% and Leigh Matthews a little better at 57.9%. Stellar coaching careers but not stellar stats by any means… So does that help Buckley’s case to stay?

All these records are easily overshadowed by Chris Scott of the current crop of coaches who has a stunning 71.1% win ratio. Wowsers !

But what does this tell us? You can prove anything with stats. We can carve up the coaches various teams and how they performed with each club at different stages and before you know it we can prove a point.

The key to Buckley has to be that he took over a top performing team and has been going downhill since then.

Let AFL not get into the crazy ways of the Soccer and sack managers after half a season. The players must take responsibility too (imagine if Cloke could kick straight!). But Buckley has had a long time in an increasingly hot seat… Is it time for Nathan to (Buck)leave?

With the new season kicking off shortly there are a number of fans who have heightened anticipation around their teams chances. Expectation, hope and plain delusion lead to thoughts of:

– Can we make top 8? – Can we make Top 4? – Can we be minor premier champions?– And can we go all the way?

For one clubs set of fans, theirs is a more pressing question. Can we avoid the wooden spoon and can we even win a game?!?!

Usually reserved for the like of Melbourne or Brisbane of late this is the question being asked by the Bombers (very loyal) fan base. Right or wrong, whether known by the players or not the punishment has been handed down. A saga lasting for years will certainly continue until the players have served their bans.

But what this does make for is a MUST watch game in Round One. A depleted side in the Bombers but one where youth will be given a chance to stake a claim.

History for these clubs is obviously short but the stats show:

Played: 5
Essendon: 4
Gold Coast: 1
Draws: 0

The only win for Gold Coast came last year with a margin of just two points… and 2015 had them close in the table, though at the wrong end of the ladder:

15th – Essendon – W 6, L 16
16th – Gold Coast – W 4, L 17, D 1

So with a new makeshift team for the Bombers and little separating them last year Gary Abletts Gold Coast go in as clear favourites.

It may not be the prettiest of games, but Essendon v Gold Coast is a must watch and my (Potential) Game of the Week.

This will show what 2016 holds for Essendon. Anything but a clear loss will be seen as a victory in most parts.